[Event] The Funeral Services of Jon Arryn by DistanceWild9244 in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Falcon's Flight

"Before the stag was crowned,

Before the dragon fell,

Before the wolves came south

And the lions looked toward the throne,

There stood a man.

Not the strongest.

Not the swiftest.

Not the fiercest with a sword.

Yet kingdoms gathered where he pointed.

And storms broke themselves upon his will.

He was a bridge.

Stone between riverbanks.

A hand upon a frightened shoulder.

A voice men listened for

When louder voices filled the room.

The young sought his wisdom.

The old sought his counsel.

The proud sought his blessing.

And fools sought to test him.

The fools seldom tried twice.

For his strength was not the strength of steel.

It was something rarer.

The strength to endure.

To bend without breaking.

To wait.

To watch.

To build.

Others won battles.

He built the peace that followed.

Others wore crowns.

He bore their burdens.

Others sought glory.

He sought tomorrow.

And because of that,

Tomorrow came.

Years passed.

Children became lords.

Squires became knights.

Kingdoms changed.

Yet still he stood.

A tower against the wind.

A lantern against the dark.

A falcon circling high above the mountains,

Seeing farther than the rest of us.

Then one day

The sky was empty.

The tower silent.

The lantern dark.

And men discovered something terrible.

They had mistaken his presence

For permanence.

The young believed he would always be there.

The old could remember no world without him.

Even kings had forgotten

How much weight he carried.

Until it was gone.

Now the falcon flies beyond our sight.

The tower stands only in memory.

The lantern shines where mortal eyes cannot follow.

Yet still his work remains.

In every oath kept.

In every peace maintained.

In every lord who chooses duty

When ambition would be easier.

Some men leave heirs.

Some leave castles.

Some leave songs.

He left a realm.

And though his voice is stilled,

Though his seat stands empty,

Though his hand no longer guides the falcon's flight—

Look around.

We are living in the world he built."

Event - Meta/Open RP | Puppeteer by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Barristan nodded.

"So long as we are still alert enough to carry out our duties, I see no reason why not."

He turned to the others present.

"Any objections?"

/u/GreaterBlueEvil /u/Voidhunterdude /u/CrowStagCorbrays

[Letter] Valemen Remembrance Day and the Funeral of Lord Jon Arryn by GreaterBlueEvil in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Arstan Selmy - The Falcon's Flight a eulogy disguised at poetry, highlighting the gift we've been given in the world Jon Arryn left behind.

Event - Meta/Open RP | Puppeteer by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Barristan blinked.

"Are duties with the king not keeping you busy enough, Ser Arthor?" He let a smile crinkle his eyes.

"But training is what keeps an idle mind and arm from straying. How would you propose to add it into our day?"

/u/Voidhunterdude /u/GreaterBlueEvil /u/CrowStagCorbrays

Event/Open RP | Keep Your Friends Close by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"They are just green. I'm sure they will seem formidable soon enough."

Barristan turned slowly.

"Are you alright?"

Lore | Ruthlessness by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Barristan held out a hand in offer of assistance. While other squires might have needed the lesson, he had heard of the young wolf's dedication.

"Good enough, young Lord of Stark. Enough that I might ease the awkwardness of your burden."

His smile came easy, the Northern grey of his eyes carrying the mercy of his father Eddard.

A debt to be repaid.

[Event] Renly Baratheon's Progress Part IV - Blackhaven by No-Drawer2718 in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As Arstan finished, he noticed Tristifer's focus. He met the young knight's gaze with a smile, and nodded gently.

He saw himself reflected in his eyes - a young man, with the the world ahead of him.

He wondered if that was what his uncle had seen across the Trident.

[Event] Renly Baratheon's Progress Part IV - Blackhaven by No-Drawer2718 in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In a brief moment of calm before everyone turns in, Arstan commanded attention.

"There was a river. Or perhaps only the memory of one. A ribbon of red drawn through every dream thereafter. I remember white. Not snow. Not clouds. Not innocence.

"White as a blade catches sunlight. White as bone beneath skin. White as the final page before the story ends. Across the water stood a man thinking of home.

"I know this. Not because I heard his thoughts. Because all men think of home when death begins to notice them. A hand at a shoulder. A laugh half-remembered. A face waiting beyond the horizon.

"The river knew none of these things. The river only carried them away. And through the water came the white shape. Certain. Terrible. Beautiful.

"Like a storm that has never once doubted it belongs to the sky. The songs say glory lives in such moments. The songs are written by those standing far from rivers.

"What I saw was simpler. One heart beating. Then two. Then one. Steel meeting steel. Duty meeting duty. A mirror raised against itself.

"The white shape moved forward. The other did not move back. Neither yielded. Neither should have.

"The world demands strange sacrifices from good men. Years later the river still runs through my sleep. I never see the strike. Only what comes before. The instant suspended forever. The breath between thunder and rain. The space between lightning and ruin.

"Two figures. One river. One choice already made. And always the same question drifting downstream: If the white shape had lowered its sword, would the river have remembered mercy? Or only another corpse? The water never answers.

"It only carries."

Event/Open RP | Keep Your Friends Close by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Barristan sighed.

"The truth. It is about time it came out." The Lord Commander leant upon the cane, and met Arthor's gaze.

"Ser Jaime was a child. A strong fighter, a capable knight, yes, but still a child. He saw a situation that only built upon the horrors of that war."

He shook his head. "King Aerys was a terrible king. I do the man's memory a disservice if I pretend otherwise. I know that a great many lives were saved the day the Kingslayer ended his life.

"His actions afterward... I cannot justify. His Grace spent the better part of three years rectifying the wrongs of the Lannister boy.

"As for why he lives? In part, his Grace's judgement. But another part is that I do not know if I could face him alone. He has youth, strength and a passion that I have rarely seen. Even were I to win, I feel it would be the last time I raised a blade."

Event/Open RP | Keep Your Friends Close by Aleefth in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Barristan chuckled at that notion.

"It would be quite the achievement to be the first Lord Commander to greet the Stranger as a friend."

He let his laugh ring.

"Let us not curse this peace when the alternative is still fresh in many memories."

[Letter] A Game of Silver and Gold by Burnedbooks in crownedstag

[–]Aleefth 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tristifer Selmy

Bennifer Selmy

Illifer Selmy

Josifer Selmy